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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Let Go Of Past Love and Get Ready for Spring Romance

You may have been in hibernation this winter, dealing with the aftermath of a broken relationship, but now spring is just around the corner. While you might be excited by the prospect of a spring romance, you could be hanging on to your ex in a way that would hinder you from being able to fully immerse yourself in another relationship. Don’t let your spring cleaning stop with your home this year. Begin spring cleaning with your heart and mind so that you are spruced up for Mr. Right!

Put away the pictures

Seeing pictures of your ex will inevitably make you nostalgic about your relationship and keep you from being able to move on. If you have pictures stored on your computer, Facebook account, and around your home, you will have constant reminders of good times with your ex, which will make it even harder to let go. Plus, when a new boyfriend comes around, he won’t be too excited to see pictures of you with your former boyfriend.

This spring, get rid of those pictures and other ex-boyfriend memorabilia. If you’re not comfortable completely disposing of everything, put together a small shoebox or photo album of memories and store it in the back of your closet where it can stay out of sight and out of mind.

Disconnect

In a recent Cosmopolitan article, Bethany Heitman quoted Ilana Gershon, PhD, author of The Breakup 2.0: Disconnecting over New Media: “That period after leaving someone can be very emotional, and you really need a clean break to get your head on straight… Besides, it’s easy to become obsessive and read too much into minor things.” If you find that you are likely to send a random text message to your ex or spend too much time analyzing his Facebook page, you don’t have enough room in your heart and mind for a new flame.

This spring, disconnect from your ex. Delete his number from your phone, remove him as a friend on Facebook, and stop following him on Twitter. The more difficult it is to instantly connect with your ex, the easier you’ll be able to break the habit of checking in on him or obsessing over what he’s doing. Free up the time and mental energy you will need to meet new people.

Unpack the emotional baggage

Broken relationships can leave a lot of wounds and scars—some obvious, and some not. You might feel unable to trust another man. You might feel inadequate as a person or incapable of having a healthy relationship. You might have made some mistakes in the relationship of which you’re ashamed. Carrying this “emotional baggage” into your new relationship may keep you from being able to fully open yourself up to someone new.

This spring, offer up that emotional baggage to God and let Him heal you. Spend time in prayer allowing Him to help you heal and grow. With His help, you can rise out of your hurt to become a better version of yourself that you can confidently offer to someone new.
These spring cleaning steps will get you well on the way to a healed heart and a fresh, new relationship. Your closet can wait—take care of yourself first this spring!